Posts Tagged ‘Makati City’

The Makati City government launched yesterday the Makatizen Card which will allow the city’s 500,000 residents to access city government services and transact with the LGU – receive cash allowances, stipends, and other benefits – while allowing the cardholders to pay fees and taxes, remittances, and other financial transactions. The Makatizen Card also functions as an ATM card and is considered as a valid government ID card. The Card is in collaborations with Globe Telecom, GCash (G-Xchange Inc. or GXI), and iBayad Online Ventures.

Around 1,000 functioning sample Makatizen Cards were given out and tested yesterday morning. Beside the city residents, Makati City government employees can use their Makatizen Card to receive salaries and allowances.

The Makatizen Card comes with a Near-Field Communication (NFC) feature that allows city offices equipped with iBayad machine readers to verify the identity of residents and Makati City employees in a single tap. It stores the information which easily identifies the card holder availing of various city government services without the need to present additional documents.

GXI (GCash) will serve as the financial service provider for the Makatizen Card while iBayad will deploy the mPOS terminals and build the merchant network where the cards will be accepted.

Makati Mayor Abigail Binay:“The Makatizen Card goes beyond providing Makati citizens with instant access to essential services of the city government, which in itself is a major leap forward for the city. The wide range of digital and mobile services offers the people of Makati more convenient and cost-effective ways of meeting their day-to-day needs and obligations.”

Ernest Cu, Globe President and CEO: “For the Philippines to truly become a digital nation, we need to fully take advantage of new digital opportunities and innovations to enable growth in every corner of our country. We laud the vision of the Makati City government whose support of this initiative is critical to build the city-wide digital ecosystem, a step towards the realization of our dream for the Philippines to become an admired nation.”

Albert Tinio, President of GXI (GCash): “Each Makatizen Card carries the features of the GCash mobile wallet but is also customized to be used in the city-wide local merchant network. All services that they will get in Makati City, whether it is payment of taxes, cash allowances for health and other benefits, etc. will be directly credited to this GCash wallet that is linked to the card. They don’t have to carry anything except this ID and their mobile phone.”

iBayad Founder and CEO Paolo G. Saycon:“For us, the Makatizen Card Project is as much a social endeavour, as it is a business venture. This undertaking is aligned with iBayad’s purpose of developing socially relevant and meaningful financial innovations that will transform the way people pay. Our objective is to accelerate the adoption and transformation of every consumer’s traditional spending behaviour from cash-centric to electronic payments.”

More on Globe Telecom

Globe has been ramping up network investments in a bid to amplify benefits of its new spectrum assets and enhance mobile services particularly for data. The company has announced a capital spend of $750 million for the year in an effort to continuously improve mobile and data services. Globe is also aggressively building on its fiber broadband services, aiming to create an internet super highway nationwide. The company aims to deploy fiber optics in 20,000 barangays by 2020 which will provide ultra-fast internet access to around 2 million homes nationwide.

Globe Business, the enterprise information and communications technology (ICT) arm of Globe, is leading the way in encouraging local government units like Makati City to adopt the integration of ICT and governance as a means of improving the delivery of government services and exchange of information. The said initiative supports Globe’s drive to transform the Philippines into a digital nation by instilling the importance of eGovernance to offices ranging from the local government units up to the national government.

One of the capabilities derived from an improved mobile and broadband infrastructure is the creation of a city-wide cashless ecosystem wherein e-payment methods such as e-money and debit/credit cards are utilized instead of physical cash. This will benefit not only the residents but also schools, hospitals, government offices, transportation facilities, and other micro, small, and medium-size enterprises.

The Makatizen Card is a product of the Makati City government, Globe Telecom, GCash (GXI) and iBayad, as part of the thrust of Makati City to be the first connected city.

Membership card entitles you to unlimited free admission for you, your spouse and kids below 18 years old to all exhibitions, invitations to members-only sale held every June and October, invitation to two museum exhibit openings, 10 percent cash discount at the Museum Shop, 20 to 50 percent on all programs, lectures, workshops, symposia and other activities, and 10 percent cash discount or 5 percent credit card discount at the M Cafe.

Ayala Museum is the art and history museum located at the corner of Makati Avenue and De la Rosa Street in Makati City, Metro Manila, the Philippines. It is considered one of the most important private institutions of Philippine art and culture.

Envisioned in the 1950s by Filipino abstract painter Fernando Zobel, the Ayala Museum was established in 1967 under the auspices of Ayala Foundation, Inc. It began as a museum of Philippine history and iconography, and transformed itself into a museum of fine arts and history as the 20th century drew to a close.

It also has the M Café, a gathering spot for souls passionate about art and culture, as well as sophisticated fusion food that features modern interpretations of traditional Asian food.

Recent works by Cesare, Jean Marie, Michelline, Beatrix and Maxine Syjuco will be on special preview exhibition at The Picasso Boutique Serviced Residences on Friday, September 24, 2010, at 5:30 PM. These works employ a broad range of experimental media from literary hybrids to site-specific installations, painting, performance and video pieces.

The Picasso Boutique Serviced Residences is located at 119 Leviste Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City. Exhibitions at the public spaces are on view 24 hours. The fourth floor gallery is open Monday to Friday from 10 am – 7 pm. Art-in-house at The Picasso is managed by Art Cabinet Philippines.

Ramon S. Ang, current head-honcho of San Miguel Corporation, is looking to build a new hotel in Makati as one of his personal investments. Ang is (already) a majority shareholder of Manila Diamond Hotel at Roxas Boulevard which is being managed by his daughter. Ang did not elaborate on the details of the new Makati City hotel investment during a lunch meeting he shared with several journalists.

From Life Plans to Pre-Need Plans and Memorial Plans now comes something for your cherished vehicle – a Car Maintenance Plan. The tagline goes “Take the worry out of maintaining your car today.” JAC Service Center has been serving the automotive industry since 1974 and has branches in Alabang, Makati and Cagayan de Oro.They accept all kinds of brands and models.

The “Regular Plan” costs P4,500.00 per year and you get unlimited labor for one whole year at JAC’S well-equipped, well-staffed centers, 5% discount on parts, accessories and other services, free pick-up and delivery within services areas of Las Pinas, Paranaque, Alabang and Muntinlupa, Makati, Pasay and Mandaluyong, free carwash with wax and vacuum service every month, LTO Registration and Insurance assistance, free check-up and estimations; students get a discount of P 500.00 (pay only P 4,000.00 per year).

The “VIP Plan” costs P10,000.00 per year and you get unlimited labor for one whole year, 10% discount on parts, accessories and other services, priority queuing – always be the first in line, free pick-up and delivery within Metro Manila, free 24 hour towing service within Metro Manila, free car wash with wax and vacuum service every month, LTO Registration and Insurance assistance, free check-up and estimations.

Business Asia Week is being organized by the Asian Institute of Management as a forum to present the Philippine economy and the Asia Pacific region as a strong arena for business and talent management opportunities, despite the current global economic slowdown.

Since I was a kid, when someone mentioned “the best spaghetti in town,” none topped my taste palette than Makati Supermarket’s version. I remember when the old location burned down where Glorietta now sits and Makati Supermarket re-opened again, there was a flurry of people rushing to its opening day and beyond simply because they missed the spaghetti. Long before Jollibee and Italian bistros, Makati Supermarket’s spaghetti was the best.

Here’s a blog from a Filipino Foodie who’s giving away a recipe that would probably taste as good as the famous dish (don’t hold me liable as I haven’t tried to cook it – yet!). Click to go to PinoyFoodBlog.com.

Recipe and cooking instructions from the link can also be found below.

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